Pedernales River Chili (LBJ recipe)
Lyndon Baines Johnson of Texas was the 36th President of the United States, but this recipe was published when he was vice president in 1961. Pronounced "Pur-DIN-alice," the Pedernales…
1960s: Fun City
Pedestal Complex (Hall of Fame obsession)
Charles W. Colson (1931-2012) wrote in The Body: Being Light in Darkness (1992): "Today this mentality translates into what we call the pedestal complex; it is rampant throughout the church.…
Pedestrian Manager
A "pedestrian manager" might also be called a "crossing guard." Sam Schwartz Engineering (Sam Schwartz was an assistant commissioner of transportation who helped popularize the…
Pedlock (pedestrian + gridlock)
Pedlock = pedestrian + gridlock. The term "pedlock" followed "gridlock" in the 1980s, but really didn't catch on until the 2000s. 19 May 1986, Newsday (Long Island, NY),…
Peel Noodles or Knife-Cut Noodles or Knife-Sliced Noodles (Dao-xaio-mian)
"Peel noodles" were introduced by the Sheng Wang restaurant on Eldridge Street, and New York's food reviewers in 2006 and 2007 had nothing to compare it to. Also called…
Peking Ravioli (Chinese dumplings)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: JiaoziGuotie (Chinese: 鍋貼; pinyin: guōtiē; literally: "pot stick") is pan-fried jiaozi, also known as potstickers (a direct character…
Pelado
"Pelado" means "to peel." Pelados were the shirtless of Mexico, the underclass. The slang term has been used frequently in parts of Texas, especially along the border.…
Pellizcada (“pinched” tortilla appetizer)
Pellizcada (Spanish for "pinched") is a Mexican appetizer similar to a gordita and a chalupa. Tortillas dough is "pinched" up around the edges to contain a filling, and then…
Penguine or Penguini (penguin pasta)
"Linguine" is a pasta. The continent of Antarctica doesn't have a "penguine" or "penguini" pasta made for (or of) penguins -- and there is no such named pasta…
Penguini or Penguine (penguin pasta)
"Linguine" is a pasta. The continent of Antarctica doesn't have a "penguine" or "penguini" pasta made for (or of) penguins -- and there is no such named pasta…
Penis Motel & “So Close Yet So Far Out” (Austin Motel)
The Austin Motel (in the capital city of Austin, on Congress Avenue) has been family owned and operated since 1938. The motel boasts an original red 1938 neon sign that some see as a "middle…
Pennsylvania: “Pennsylvania is Philadelphia and Pittsburgh at the ends, Alabama in between”
American political strategist James Carville ran Democratic campaigns in Pennsylvania in the 1980s. He described the state as mostly rural -- with Philadelphia on one end and Pittsburgh on the…
Pennsylvania: “Where do pencils come from?”/“Pencil-vania.”
Do pencils come from Pennsylvania? "Most of the ordinary slate pencils come from Pencil-vania" was printed in the Pittsfield (MA) Sun on December 27, 1876. "Pencils come from…
Pennsylvania: “Where do pencils come from?”/“Pennsylvania.”
Do pencils come from Pennsylvania? "Most of the ordinary slate pencils come from Pencil-vania" was printed in the Pittsfield (MA) Sun on December 27, 1876. "Pencils come from…
Pennsylvania: Keystone State (nickname)
Pennsylvania has been called the "Keystone State" for several reasons. A keystone is a wedge-shaped stone that holds an arch in place. Pennsylvania was located in the center of the 13…
Penny Lick
A 'penny lick" was a glass of ice cream that sold for a penny. The term was popular in the 1890s, just before the invention of the ice cream cone. It is not known if the "penny…
Penny-Pinching (Penny-Pincher)
A "penny-pincher" is someone who is extremely frugal and who counts every penny. The English dramatist Thomas Dekker (1572-1632) wrote "Hang these penny-pinching fathers" in his…
Pentagram (Pentagon nickname)
The Pentagon is the five-sided building in Arlington, Virginia, that is the headquarters for the United States Department of Defense; the term "Pentagon" is often used metonymically for…
People Eating Tasty Animals (PETA parody/nickname)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an animal rights organization, founded in 1980. In 1996, meat eaters did a PETA parody and registered a web address for "People Eating…
People’s Beach (Jacob Riis Park)
Jacob Riis (1849-1914) was a journalist/photographer famous for his book, How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New York (1890). Riis attempted to expose the plight of the poor…